"K" is for kiss and kindness~~ABC Wednesday 093009

It's very strange, but the horse that was the LEAST likely to trust humans, Scout, has now turned into the most trusting and loving! She came to us "halter broke" (NOT!) from the Salt Wells Creek BLM area in Wyoming and was halter broke at the Riverton prison facility. However, from the beginning, she was very wary toward us. It even took our trainer 1 1/2 hours to get Scout haltered the first time! Uh, uh! NO WAY! And, she always had a wary look in her eye. Of course, we had no idea what sort of life Scout had. Cali, on the other hand, was always very trusting and loving. It has taken Scout, however, over two years to finally trust us. Now, she is very curious and demands attention! And, she gets it! My friend Molly loves to come up to the ranch for some "horse time". She and Scout always get along so well! Here is Scout giving Molly a KISS and you can see the KINDNESS between the two of them! ABC Wednesday for September 30, 2009. It looks like our desert heat is finally disappearing. Temps will be down in the 90's for the next week!

Oh, how I wish~That's My World for 092909

Summer is still with us...(sigh)...Yesterday it was 107 degrees in the desert. But, starting TOMORROW, temps should be in the 90's. That means we can turn OFF the air conditioners! Oh, how I wish for days like this. This was last November. See the clouds? Can you feel the cold air? Scout and Cali sure enjoyed their day in the arena! That's My World for September 29, 2009.

Cali-salon day~Mellow Yellow for Monday, 092809

I took my friend Molly with me up to the ranch yesterday. We let Cali out into the arena while I worked with Gigondas in the round pen. Then, we took Cali up to the wash rack and put Gigo in the arena (musical horses!). We both gave Cali a nice spa treatment. We brushed her all over (her winter coat is starting to come in) and brushed her tail and mane. VIOLA! She looked like a completely different horse. She didn't even move a foot while we both worked on her. I think she kinda enjoyed it! Here are her before and after photos! The before ones are the top two and her after ones are on the bottom. What a difference! Mellow Yellow for Monday, September 28, 2009.

Chores and Quad

I was alone yesterday on the ranch, so I opted to NOT work with Sunni or Gigondas. I don't like to work with them when nobody is at the ranch, in case I get hurt. And, we ALL know how Sunni can spook and Gigondas can bolt! Instead, I did some chores and visited with Quad. He's such a hoot!!! He has decided that his other neighbor, the little Pony of the Americas, is after his bran mash and now he is kicking the metal corral in an effort to get her away from his bran bowl! Silly Quad! He is starting to look and feel better! His goofy personality is coming out! I did let Scout out to run around in the arena and she gave me a nice rope burn, always reminding me that SHE is a handful. I mean, for heaven's sakes! She's the closest horse to the arena...she sees it all day...it's only a few feet from her corral...why can't she walk nicely down to it? (...sigh)...I know what it was. It was my car. I walked her by my car and that was it. Instant spook. Just a reminder that I need to desensitize ALL the horses! Anyway, while she was in the arena, I cleaned out her water trough. I gave all the other horses their sweet feed and when she heard it plop in THEIR feeders, like a rocket, she was at the gate demanding that I take her out, back to her corral, for her feed! Hmmmm..... Today my friend Molly is driving up with me, so I'll have an extra set of hands. I'm hoping that it will be cooler today (yesterday I was DONE by 10:00...it was just too hot to work!) and we can brush the horses and take them for their walk! Enjoy your Sunday.

Remembering Beauty ~ 3 months Camera Critters 092609

It has now been 3 months since I found Beauty dead one morning in her corral. I miss her every day. I miss her nicker. She and Sunni were the only horses to even nicker when I drove up to the ranch. We moved Sunni to the big, back corral with Cali, so he doesn't see the car come now, but he hears it. Gigondas also nickers and greets me, and now, so does Quad! Here are some pics of Beauty. She LOVED to run in the arena and I often let her out with Sunni. The two of them would have a blast! I miss her pleasant personality and her goofiness! She really was a goofball! RIP, dear one. Camera Critters for September 26, 2009.

Cali, Sunni, and Clouds~SkyWatch Friday 092509

I love driving up to the ranch and looking at the clouds there. They hang around the mountains. We get a much better view of them up at the ranch than down in the desert. Here are Cali and Sunni on a cloudy afternoon. SkyWatch Friday for September 25, 2009.

Cali

Cali is turning into a very nice, calm, mellow horse. I often take her for walks around the ranch. She doesn't spook and if she sees something, she will stop and look at it. She always comes up to us at the ranch and is eager to go for her walks. I took Cali and Scout down to the arena last weekend (before I got sick) and the two mustangs had a blast! Cali has a beautiful, long tail, which is up in one photo!

"J" is for jealous~ABC Wednesday 092309

Because Scout is on the corral on the end, above the arena, she sees EVERYTHING that goes on there. And, sometimes she wants to have some fun, too! She gets JEALOUS of any horse that is in the arena. SHE should be there! Hummmpppffff! Here she is, jealous of Quad! Sometimes she has a "snit fit" and it's really funny to watch! We usually let her have her little fit and then, when she is calm, take her down for some "fun time". ABC Wednesday for 092309.

That's My World 092209 Gigondas in the arena

We love to watch Gigondas run in the arena. After I work with her in the round pen on her verbal commands, she gets to run in the arena. We rotate the horses so that they each get a turn to enjoy some free time there. That's My World for September 22, 2009, the first day of autumn.

Initiation by bran mash~Quad!

My aunt and uncle came up yesterday to have breakfast and then visit the horses. They really wanted to see Quad, so we walked over to his corral. He had finished breakfast long ago and was ready for his bran mash. Now, we all KNOW that he picks up his bowl and throws it, but my uncle angled in to get a photo and WHAM! Yup. Quad emptied his bran mash all over my uncle's shoe! Oh, gosh! I felt so bad for him. Fortunately, it wasn't a good pair of shoes! They really enjoy visiting with Quad and always ask how he is doing. When my aunt and mom were young, my grandfather used to take them over to Santa Anita race track and they would watch the great Seabiscuit run. My uncle said, "Oh, my! He is a tall horse! He's the tallest one you have!" My uncle used to enjoy being outside and working with his parents' horses on the farm in Wisconsin. I'm glad they were able to visit Quad and spend some time with him. He's very gentle with everybody who stops by. Except, WATCH YOUR SHOES if he has his bowl of mash!!!

Quad and his girlfriend

Quad is next to a beautiful Peruvian filly, a palomino. She is GORGEOUS! Look at her face! She is very protective of him and gets upset when we take him out of his pen. They like to hang out together! Here they are looking down at the arena last week when Gigondas was out there exercising. Aren't they cute?

A horse, sunlight, and dust~SkyWatch Friday 091809

On one Indian summer afternoon, after her workout in the round pen, I took Gigondas, my big red thoroughbred, down to the arena for a run. And, as you know, she LOVES to run! On that day, she stirred up so much dust that it turned into an interesting photo! SkyWatch Friday for September 18, 2009.

Gigondas' training and the arrival of autumn

This has been the week from @#%%. Testing, testing, testing at school and Open House. I've been exhausted every night...too exhausted to drive up the most dangerous road in California to see the horses. BUT...the weekend is coming! YEAH! I'm still working with Gigondas on her training, especially putting the lead rope over her head and ears. When we first got her, there was NO WAY I could get near her head. She either raised it up or backed away. Now, she is used to having me touch her ears, head, and throwing a rope over her all over. GOOD GIRL! Here are some recent pics of me with her in the round pen where I work with the horses. It was a beautiful day (see the clouds?). Autumn in the mountains is very different from autumn here in the desert. First of all, it gets colder up there! Now I have to keep a sweater and jacket in my car! Second, the trees are beginning to lose their leaves, where here in the desert, most do not. As the days shorten, I'll have less daylight during the week to work the horses, so they pretty much get the winter off, except for weekends.

Wind 'er up! ~ Gigondas

Gigondas LOVES to run! Run, run, run! Now I need to get her to WALK! Her training is coming along nicely. She remembers her lessons, THINKS about things, and is very responsive now. But, boy, does she love to RUN! But, she also stops and gets some nice words and praise for listening and doing a good job!

With age comes a certain wisdom...

Over the past 3 years, I've learned a lot. I've learned that each horse is an individual with his or her own personality. Sunni IS what he is. Gigondas IS what she is. Quad IS what he is. Beauty WAS what she was...a friendly, loving, caring, patient, intelligent horse! Just like my current German Shepherd, Rommel, is different from our other two German Shepherds that we've had. He is the most mellow of the three. Our first one, Metternich, would have taken on ANY male that approached me. Yes, with FANGS showing and a deep growl. He was my protector. Our second male shepherd, Maverick, also completely guarded me and growled at everyone who came to the house. He hated every vet we ever took him too, except one old guy at PetSmart who told him to "Knock it off" when Maverick growled at him. And, he gave him a cookie and patted him on the head. Rommel loves everybody. I've never even heard him growl. And, he is the one with the most physical problems. BUT, his personality has allowed him to continue to be the mellow gentleman that he is. Quad was bred to race, but he prefers to walk everywhere and look and smell the roses and enjoy the air! Gigondas was bred to race, and she LOVES to run! In fact, she wants to run EVERYWHERE, so we have to slow her down. Sunni...(sigh...) Sunni is Sunni...we don't know what kind of life he had his first year, but obviously, there is still some fear there. Fear of things that move, fear of unknown shadows. Cali, on the other hand, and Scout, are totally UNafraid of anything. Must be a mustang thing. Every horse is different, just like every dog is different, and each of us are different. No one training program fits ALL our horses. I guess it's time for me to really reflect and decide what each horse REALLY needs. Sunni needs a LOT of groundwork. Gigondas needs a little bit and she'll be ready to ride (hopefully). Quad IS rideable and now that his feet have healed and he has recovered from his colic, I would love to have Valerie ride him and see how he does. Cali and Scout are both ready for their groundwork. BUT...the days are getting shorter. The mornings are cool, and even COLD in the mountains. Soon I'll be running out of daylight during the week...time to train the horses during the week is drawing to a close as summer ends. I'll have to do what I can on the weekends. Valerie will be bringing her horses down to the desert soon and she'll be closer to me, but further from my horses. Ahhhh...the changing of the seasons.

Training setback with Sunni

First, I want everyone to know that Valerie is okay, BUT...

While she was riding Sunni on Thursday, he spooked. She wasn't ready for that (he bunny hopped) and was thrown against the metal railings of the round pen. She is okay, but she cut her hand and bruised several ribs. Of course, she sent him around and around and around the round pen and then put him away for the day. She is on vacation with her family this week and we will have to rethink his training when she returns. He still needs a LOT of groundwork! In the meantime, I am working with Gigondas in the round pen. She is doing very well. She remembers her lessons and is no longer the scared, nervous horse she was 2 years ago when we first got her. Quad continues to recover and we will see the horses this afternoon after school.

Quad and a little friend~Camera critters for 091209

Quad has now recovered and is quite perky! And demanding FOOD! NOW! I'm going up every day and giving him an extra snack of feed, bran mash, beet pulp, and vitamins. His tummy is now fine and his feet are fine, and he is FEELING GOOD! Like he should! Hubby went with me yesterday and I worked Gigondas in the round pen and she did everything Valerie and I have taught her, so I didn't have time to take Quad out to the arena. Maybe today...I have to take my shepherd up to the vet for his shots and an appointment to give him some new meds for his skin condition (poor baby...) That's Quad with one of the ranch dogs, sharing his bran mash. And, just look at "Mr. Bran Mouth"! Yesterday, when I gave him his bowl, something immediately flew by my shoulder...a HUGE glob of mash! Quad had picked up his bowl and flung it upside down. Bran was flying everywhere! Hubby and I were lucky that we didn't get any actually flung on us! So, from now on, he gets it in his feeder!!! (I've learned MY lesson!)

Look, ma! I've got a person on my back! Sunni saddled

Sunni's big day finally came this week~! My cousin, Valerie, came over on Monday and saddled and rode him. He was very calm, no spooks! She has done a wonderful job with him. He is now very confident and secure. I took some pics of the two of them. Valerie gives him LOTS of praise and her voice is so calming that he wasn't afraid. Look at him! I'm so proud of Sunni. She also rode him Wednesday and gave me a report on that ride, but I was at school and didn't get to see them together.

Quad update~good news!!!

Hubby and I drove up to the ranch yesterday to check on Quad's progress and we were so happy to see him feeling normal! YEAH! He was perky and demanding more food! Hubby took him for a nice, long walk and then we let him loose in the arena for a while. He was interested in the other horses and had a nice afternoon there. Then, back to his corral for his bran mash. OF COURSE he grabbed his bowl, threw it into the air, and spilled bran mash everywhere! What a character he is! Fortunately, I had just swept his rubber mats, so he just licked them clean. He even put his ears back at his neighbor ("MY mash! Go away!) His eyes were alert, his head was up, he wasn't looking at his tummy. Ahhhh....what a relief! THANK YOU, everyone, for your good thoughts and prayers. I need to stay at school this afternoon and get my room ready for Back to School on Tuesday, so Cathy will give him his psyllium this afternoon. He gets it for 10 days, then every other day for the next 20 days, so that's a whole month. Here are a few pics of Quad yesterday afternoon. It is so good to see him feeling better. He's such a sweetheart! I'l post pics of Sunni being ridden tomorrow.

Sunni's lesson

My cousin, Valerie, is training Sunni and has been for several weeks now. She has trained all of her own horses and she also trained Beauty. Sunni has always been somewhat insecure, and for a while, he wouldn't come to her, but now he eagerly comes to Valerie and gets haltered. Wow! What a change! Cali is so different! She always comes up to people for "lovin". But, every horse is different, right? Here are some pics from Monday...she always starts with the join up.

SAND!!! and Quad update

Quad isn't out of the woods yet (sigh...) Poor baby! He has now passed out a LOT of sand and his poop is normal, but he is still stretching and looking at his tummy. I took him for a LONG walk yesterday, gave him some soupy bran mash, and he perked up. We will go up to the ranch to see him this afternoon, after school.

In the meantime, I took a couple of photos of the horses and the sand that we deal with up there. It is WORSE down here in the desert. Look, Cali and Sunni have a hay feeder. AND...WHERE do they eat their hay? Yup. On the sand! They throw it on the sand and eat it every day (twice a day)! Go figure. Hubby is going out today to look for more rubber mats (he's off for the next two days and has time to do this).

Sunni was saddled and RIDDEN by my cousin yesterday and I'll post those pics later this week! Just too worried about Quad right now.

Quad down again Sunday morning

I got an email from Cathy that Quad was down again Sunday morning, so I dropped my chores at home and raced up the hill. Now, mind you, I have a 35-40 minute drive up the WORST mountain road in California. It is called "The Killer Highway" (Highway 74). There isn't a week that somebody isn't driving off it. But, I'm a very careful driver. I, of course, was nervous and worried, as this is the second morning that he's been down. She had already called the vet. He passed a HUGE pile of poop about midnight, full of sand, but nothing since. I walked him around for a while and then he passed another HUGE pile of poop, full of sand. Doc came, took his temp, listened to his tummy (LOTS of sounds...GOOD NEWS!) and tubed him again. I walked him around some more. He was DEMANDING food (poor thing)...he was ribby when we got him and now this....through it all, he never flinched, never kicked...he is the perfect gentleman! I finally let him out in the arena as in the heat, I was exhausted! I'm driving up again this morning, with hubby, to check him and then my cousin Valerie is going to saddle Sunni and maybe take him for a little ride! I'll be sure to take lots of pics. Here are some pics of Quad from yesterday. He's got his rubber mats now and tomorrow hubby is going to go see if he can buy some more as now the rest of the herd doesn't have any and we don't wish to go through this with any of them!!! SAND COLIC...ugh!

Quad colicked! Scary day!

As we drove into the ranch yesterday morning, about 10:00, I, of course, glanced over to do a quick "head count". Quad was down. My heart immediately jumped up into my throat. Oh, no! I did see his head move, and ran over to see him. Cathy came out and said she had already called our vet (THANK YOU, Cathy!) He was colicking. He did get up a couple of times, and then go back down. He kept looking at his hind end. There was one pile of poop, then he pooped again, but he couldn't pee at all. Doc was out on another emergency, so about 40 minutes later, he came and checked his temperature and vital signs. Quad was the perfect gentleman (of course!) and Doc announced he was full of sand. (sigh...) This is a constant problem in our desert and mountains. I have a program of feeding the horses in feeders off the ground and I bought 6 rubber mats this summer for them. I also give them beet pulp and psyllium on weekends. Still, however, they ALL insist on pulling their alfalfa OUT of their feeders and eating it on the sandy ground (pulling out hair!!!) So, for Quad, we pulled 5 rubber mats out of other corrals and we have now lined his pen with these. He got tubed and was pooping about an hour later. Phew. That was just too scary! As for the others, hubby is off on Monday and Tuesday and on Tuesday he will drive out to a couple of restaurant suppliers in our area and see how much their rubbers mats are. I paid $50.00 EACH for the ones I bought and we probably need to buy 5 more, so they aren't cheap. But, then, neither are vet visits! Any ideas/suggestions? The problem, like I said, is that they ALL pull their hay out of their feeders and then spread it all over tarnation! After Doc left, Quad was DEMANDING his dinner, but we had to wait until he pooped! He is just so sweet, it is hard to see him not feeling his best. Do you see him looking for dinner? "What kind of a place IS this?" he's thinking!!!

Scout~~Thirds~~Sunday Stills Challenge 090609

Our mustang, Scout, in thirds. This is a hard challenge for me as I had always centered my subjects. I like this one of Scout and I think it is in thirds. Not being spatial, it's hard for me to see thirds...Anyway, I still like it! Sunday Stills Challenge for September 6, 2009 "Thirds".

Desensitizing Sunni

Sunni continues to do well with his training! I have now seem him change from a sensitive, skittish horse to one that is confident and secure with both me and my cousin, Valerie. He now comes to her in his corral, instead of running off and standing in the corner! She drove over to the ranch twice this week while I was in school and worked him for an hour. She sent me reports about his progress. I am so pleased! Way to go, Valerie!

mustang roundup

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 22:31 LOVELL, WYOMING - SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 - A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) request by The Cloud Foundation and Front Range Equine Rescue was denied today in Federal District Court. The TRO was filed to stop the round up of the Pryor Mountain horses, an action unprecedented in size and scope. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has contracted with the federally-indicted Dave Cattoor to round up America’s most famous wild horse herd beginning September 3, 2009.

****UPDATE*****

Thursday, 03 September 2009 22:18
PRESS RELEASE
LOVELL, WYOMING - SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 – In the searing 90-plus degree heat the first five mustangs, of less than 200 remaining in Montana’s only wild horse herd, are driven into corrals by a helicopter, forcibly removed from the rangeland they have occupied for hundreds of years. The Pryor wild horses and one palomino stallion in particular, Cloud, have been made world famous by the PBS Nature documentaries, the third of which will air this fall.

If you wish to help, PLEASE contact the Cloud Foundation: http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/ OR Angels for Cloud: http://www.wflendangeredstreamlive.org/angelsforcloud.html

Please help save America's mustangs!!!

See the video on the bottom of my blog! Time is running out for our mustangs! I have two mustangs myself and I shudder to think of the 30,000 who will be subject to slaughter if we don't act NOW!!!! Scout and Cali are my two mustangs and they are WONDERFUL, LOVING horses! These are not my photos and I apologize to anyone if I didn't seek permission to use them, but WE MUST ACT NOW!!!! Look at the little foal having to run! And, it is only a few days old! I once asked our former trainer, Angi Keitel, how our two mustangs were captured. She answered, "Oh, they just followed their mothers." NO CHOICE. Angi knows what these mustangs go through. Please help them if you can. I thank you. The lead mustang in the top photo looks very much like Scout. I certainly wouldn't want Scout or Cali to be among the 30,000 mustangs headed for slaughter.

That's one dirty boy!!! Sunni

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days. Hubby forgot to pay our Internet and cable bill and everything was turned off and, of course, they tacked on another month, so we had to wait until he got paid...just one of those facts of life! ANYWAY, last week, before the dreaded SCHOOL started, I took these pics of Sunni, who was clean and shiny. See the before pic? And, after I gave him a shower with the hose, he, of course, rolled in the dirt and manure and looked like THIS! ACK! (sigh...) He is coming along nicely now with his lessons and my cousin will saddle him tomorrow and Monday (no school!). I can't wait to see the herd. We've had mountain and desert thunderstorms lately (our typical August weather!) and, with the humidity, I've just been too worn out to drive up to see them. I was ready to do so today, but hubby was feeling sick and I had to babysit him!!! We are trying to be extra cautious regarding our health down here as there are several hundred cases of swine flu in the valley AND some West nile cases, too. As I stood and did yard duty today, I looked down at my legs (I was wearing shorts) and I had 5 mosquitoes on each leg! YIKES! I did the "mosquito swat dance" quickly and got them off! Students and teachers alike have been complaining about the mosquitoes at school and now I can see why! I have a 3 day weekend coming up and believe me, that will be "horse time"!!!

More mustang fun~~ That's My World for 090109

Sunday my friend Molly and I each led a mustang down to the arena for some play and exercise! And, exercise they did! These two are just so playful! And, when they see us with the red bucket (full of feed), they line up by the gate and wait for us to come and lead them back to their corrals! GOOD GIRLS! That's My World for Tuesday, September 1, 2009.